Thomas Sowell ( 10 of 95 )
Given that some social processes must convey inherent constraints, the choice is among various mixtures of persuasion, force, and cultural read more
Given that some social processes must convey inherent constraints, the choice is among various mixtures of persuasion, force, and cultural inducement. The less of one, the more of the others. The degree of freedom that is possible is therefore tied to the extent to which people respond to persuasion or inducement.
Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it
Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it
The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it.The read more
The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it.The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.
Education is not merely neglected in many of our schools today, but is replaced to a great extent by ideological read more
Education is not merely neglected in many of our schools today, but is replaced to a great extent by ideological indoctrination.
What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying read more
What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long.
One of the consequences of such notions as "entitlements" is that people who have contributed nothing to society feel that read more
One of the consequences of such notions as "entitlements" is that people who have contributed nothing to society feel that society owes them something, apparently just for being nice enough to grace us with their presence.
Neither "property" nor the value of property is a physical thing. Property is a set of defined options...It is that read more
Neither "property" nor the value of property is a physical thing. Property is a set of defined options...It is that set of options which has economic value...It is the options, and not the physical things, which are the "property" - economically as well as legally...But because the public tends to think of property as tangible, physical things, this opens the way politically for government confiscation of property by forcibly taking away options while leaving the physical objects untouched.
One of the most fashionable notions of our times is that social problems like poverty and oppression breed wars. Most read more
One of the most fashionable notions of our times is that social problems like poverty and oppression breed wars. Most wars, however, are started by well-fed people with time on their hands to dream up half-baked ideologies or grandiose ambitions, and to nurse real or imagined grievances.
The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. read more
The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.
The black family survived centuries of slavery and generations of Jim Crow, but it has disintegrated in the wake of read more
The black family survived centuries of slavery and generations of Jim Crow, but it has disintegrated in the wake of the liberals' expansion of the welfare state.
